


Close the Gap

by GalaxyAqua



Category: Free!
Genre: M/M, POV Second Person
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-26
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-04-06 05:25:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4209600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GalaxyAqua/pseuds/GalaxyAqua
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Nitori is graduating, and he's appointing a new captain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Close the Gap

**Author's Note:**

> I told myself I wouldn't get on this ship and look where I am now

Looking back, it feels like just yesterday when you set foot into Samezuka as the young, bright-eyed, freshman Aiichirou Nitori – without a single clue where you’d end up, but equipped with a burning passion to just _do your best_. You remember you never had the skills, talents or physical prowess to boost you either, so it must have been sheer determination and willpower that kept you afloat all these years. You’re kind of proud of yourself, to be honest.

Though it may also have been because Rin just told you over the phone: “You’re every bit the captain I knew you would be, Ai.”

You can’t help but smile at the thought of him. You owe so much to Rin Matsuoka.

But your time with Rin has ended long ago, and you take comfort in knowing he’s plunging forward to pursue his dreams.

Now, you suppose, it’s your turn to do the same.

You’re standing outside the school pool, when the memories wash over you. All the times you spent pandering after Rin (much to his chagrin), all the times you met up with the Iwatobi crew (Nagisa still prank calls you every two weeks), all the times you spent training under Sousuke’s watchful eye (your respect for him is unending), all the times you were chased by Momotarou around the school (and he hasn’t stopped chasing you yet).

It maybe, kind of hits you at this point what all this means to you.

_You can’t believe you’re graduating._

You wonder idly if this is how every graduate feels; some sort of sad, some sort of hopeful. You still don’t know what the future holds for you. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t scared.

It’s almost laughable that the only thing on your mind right now is who you’re appointing to captain the swim team next school year. The swim team always meant so, so much to you. It still does. It always will.

You can’t help but feel you’re being a little biased though, in thinking that the only person you want succeeding you is Momotarou Mikoshiba. You have no doubts that Momo would be an absolute stellar captain, but you doubt your own ability to judge fairly – since, well, your fondness for Momo had only increased steadily over the years … and this thing sort of lead to that thing and … you guess somewhere along the line, you fell for his impossibly annoying face.

That’s a secret though, you think. You have neither the courage nor the grace to confess to him – to confess to anyone – and so you’re content with just leaving your awkward self to let him go. One day, you hope, Momo will invite you to his wedding and you’ll feel nothing but happy for him.

You have more important things to focus on than love anyway.

So caught up in your thoughts, you’re suddenly shocked by a slap of a very cold hand on the back of your neck.

You fail to bite back a shriek.  

“Ai-senpai!” greets that impossibly annoying face, all sunshine and rainbows because that was exactly what Momotarou was made of. His cold hands leave your neck and flail before him, indicative of his easily excitable nature. “I knew I’d find you here!”

Your mouth tugs into a frown, but you’re only playing. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“Aww,” Momo pouts, crossing his arms over his chest. “But I just wanted to see my favorite senpai before he goes. It won’t be the same without you!”

There’s no way you can play mad at him like this. You remember feeling the same, just last year, when you were seeing the third years graduate, too. Your gaze softens, just a tad, when you tell him “You know we can still keep in touch.”

Not placated, Momo whines, “But who will go to the stag beetle café with me when you’re gone?”

“You’ll find someone.” You say with a smile, but you know what he’s trying to say. Unlike him though, you can say it out loud. “I’ll miss you too, Momo.”

A shy grin creeps across his face and he rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah! Yeah. Yeah. … Pyunsuke will definitely miss you a lot!” Then he straightens impressively, and raises his fists to the sky, “C’mon!! Let’s go swimming!!”

“Right now?” You laugh, but when he’s dragging you inside to the change rooms, you’re not complaining.

You do, however, let out a gasp of surprise when the rest of the team showers you both with confetti the moment you set foot indoors.

“Yahoo! Party!!” yells Momo, and in seconds, he’s flown out of your grasp and is diving with a loud splash into the water. The team cheer, and some of the swimmers dive in after him, all high spirits and laughter.

“Congrats on a great year, Captain Nitori.” Uozumi appears at your left, and you squawk indignantly as he ruffles your hair. If you have any regrets, it is that your growth spurt barely treated you as kindly as it treated all the others. At least you _did_ grow taller, but you digress.

“You’re graduating too…” you mumble, but he just chuckles.

“I have my graduation parties to go to. This one’s for you.” Under his breath, you hear him mutter teasingly, “And you need to get out more, anyway.”

“H-hey!” You protest, but before you can speak any more, Momo’s popped out of the pool and is tugging you towards it.

“Ai-senpai! Ai-senpai!” His eyes look like they’ve been ignited, as his dripping hand clutches your own. You’re not one bit annoyed, you find. His happiness is infectious.

“What?”

He beams.

You tilt your head curiously.

And then suddenly, he’s got you in his arms and you’re screeching (in laughter, he would later say, and you would smack him because it _wasn’t_ funny) and in seconds, he’s tossed you into the pool and is running away at the speed of light.

Okay, yes, you’re annoyed.

“Momo!” You hear yourself yelling, and Iwashimizu is beside you in the water, patting you on the back with a wild grin.

“It’s okay, Captain! At least your feet can reach the floor now.”

You want to glare at him, but you feel as though when he’s laughing at you it would have zero effect anyway. Besides, you’re already getting out of the pool ready to chase Momo down. And remembering with slight delay the way you fit snugly into his arms as he carried you; joke or not, you can’t deny your heart was thudding hard in your chest at the action.

 You shake your head free of water, and try to push the emotions down.

“Momo, come back here!”

The padding of wet feet on the other side of the pool catches your attention, and you spin around, facing the object of your irritation (and affection) with a long, stern stare. It’s not long before his sheepish look breaks down into giggles, and you soon find yourself following suit.

Snatching a water gun from the benches (why they were there, you don’t want to know), you clumsily aim it at him and fire away. It’s not long before the entirety of the Samezuka swim team is caught up in one, big water fight. A hint of wine red and a tall shadow flash in the corner of your eye, and you smile.

It’s hard to leave all this behind, you think. It’s hard to graduate, after all you’ve been through.

Now you know how Rin must have felt.

When you think you’ve had enough excitement for the day, you wander off to meet them; the two you swore were loitering around outside moments before. “Rin-senpai. Yamazaki-senpai.” You wave at them, and they greet you in turn.

“Hell of a graduation party, eh, Ai?” Rin winks at him, gesturing towards the still rowdy crowd inside the pool.  

You nod earnestly. “What are you two doing here?”

“Just visiting.” Supplies Sousuke, reaching over and ruffling your hair even as you complain.

Rin’s expression mellows a little, when he asks you succinctly, “Have you decided yet?”

You know what he’s talking about. The captain position, after all, had been carried out by both of you.

“Not yet. I have some ideas, but …”

“Don’t worry too much.” He grins, sharp teeth on full display as he flicks you in the forehead. “I know whoever you choose will do a great job.”

Surprisingly, it is Sousuke that gives you a knowing look. “You’ve chosen already, haven’t you?”

You wonder, for a second, if Sousuke somehow knows you better than you know yourself.

“Sort of?” It’s a question, but you honestly think that after seeing these two your answer is clear as day. Momo, you think as you watch him encourage the other members and induce playful banter between them and keep them all smiling through the window, would be an amazing captain, just like his brother.

Rin and Sousuke follow your gaze, and Rin hums in approval. “I agree.” Is all he says, and just knowing you have his approval is enough.

Things don’t stay quiet for long, because at that very moment, Momo notices them. “RIN-SENPAI! YAMAZAKI-SENPAI!” He leaps out of the pool and comes running; almost crashing into the glass door in the process. “Why are you guys here? When did you get back? Did you bring gifts?”

His questions fire at a mile a minute, and the elder duo, though overwhelmed, seem very happy to see him. It’s almost like when you were all a team, you lament, though Rin looks anything but pleased to being sprayed with water.

“… I think Ai has something to tell you.”

Your name brings you back into the conversation, and all you see is Rin winking at you again and pulling Sousuke towards the pool, where their old teammates are ecstatic to see them.

Momo turns to you expectantly, and you admire the way he doesn’t seem offended at all that they had cut out mid-conversation and just left them there. Needless to say, there are a lot of things you admired about Momo, and you know that he’s not going to stop impressing you any time soon.

“What’s up, Ai-senpai?” He claps his hands together, golden eyes shining.

“I just… thought.” You hesitate, to clear your throat. You don’t know why you’re so abruptly nervous, but you plough on. “Um, I thought I’d make you captain next year. If that’s alright with you.”

Momo looks stunned, and then like he’s going to cry.

“Ai-senpai!” He wails, catapulting straight into you and giving you the biggest hug you’ve had in a while. Any harder and you swear you’re going to be crushed.

“M-momo-kun,” the impact lets slip the old honorific you gave him, and he only hugs you tighter.

“Yes!” He nods, sharply and rapidly into your shoulder. “Yes, I’ll do it! I promise I won’t let you down! Yes! Yes! Thank you so much!”

His enthusiasm delights you, and you find yourself hugging him back. “I’m sure you’ll be great. Work hard, okay?”

“I will!” He comes short of nuzzling you, pulling back to hold you at arm’s length. “You’re the best,” he tells you, eyes watering even though he’s grinning like he’s won the lottery. “You’re really the best, ever.”

“Make me proud.” You smile, and he pulls you into a tight hug again.

“You’re the best.” He repeats. “The actual best.”

And you’re touched, really.

When he pulls back again, he’s got determination in his eyes and fire on his tongue. He’s radiant, in his garishly bright colors and his obnoxiously passionate personality and you think, in this moment, that you would never be ashamed to have fallen for this boy.

He’s never to know, but you –

“I think I’m going to kiss you now.”

– you could’ve snapped your neck with the speed you turned to look at him.

“W-what?”

“That’s okay, isn’t it? Because I like you and you maybe possibly like me too…?” He’s nose-to-nose with you, but something in his open, kind expression tells you that if you say ‘no’, he’s not going to do it. He respects you too much to force it onto you.

It doesn’t matter. You’re dumbstruck anyway. You should’ve known to always expect the unexpected when it comes to Momo.

“It’s okay,” you finally whisper, nerves lost to shock. “I like you too.”

His face burns, red creeping up all the way to the tips of his ears. “Oh, o-okay,” he whispers back in disbelief. “Um, so…!”

If you weren’t so flushed yourself, you’d be rolling your eyes, saying, _‘If you didn’t expect me to say yes, then why did you ask, you idiot?’_

So you take responsibility and close the gap.

Now, you suppose, it really _is_ the time to start pursuing your dreams.

* * *

 

When you walk back into the pool area hand-in-hand and giddy as ever, Sousuke raises his eyebrows and Rin just gives you both a once-over and slaps his hand to his forehead, saying, "Jeez, fuckin' finally! Took you long enough!" 

The grin he's hiding behind his hand tells you that for once, it's not because it'll get Momo off of Gou.

But just to be safe, you and Momo decide to push him into the pool.

And it's all worth it. 


End file.
